Thursday, July 22, 2010

How to keep a baby in her car seat?

Everyone knows the importance of have your child belted up while travelling. In Singapore, it's not only encouraged to have your baby in a car seat, it's compulsory, mandatory, necessary- the kind where you can get fined and be given demerit points if you don't have your child buckled up.

Ever since we changed Sophie's car seat to forward facing after she turned 10.5 months, she's been less cooperative to stay in her car seat. I can attribute it to various reasons.

1. Being forward facing now means she don't get to have any toys or books in front of her to keep her entertained. After all the space in front of her is just the gap between her child seat and the car seat in front.

2. Her view is blocked by the car seat in front of her. Though on that same note, she will have a different view now and is no longer just subjected to seeing headlights of the cars behind.

3. She is starting to have a stronger personality and has a mind of her own. And staying still in the car seat is just not going to go down with her as it used to.

So as the CEO- Chief Entertainment Officer, I had to resort to doing all kinds of things to keep Sophie happy in her child seat. There was the DIY net that I made out of a laundry bag and clothes peg to keep her toys and books within reach. But that didn't stop her from throwing her books and toys down the floor and getting frustrated that she has nothing to play with.

There was also the song singing, from "itsy bitsy spider" to "the Wheels on the bus" to "1 little Indian"...the silly games like me pretending to be "sleeping" and springing up to scare her, or giving her the cloths peg only to have it bitten by her.

But the one that works like a charm now is offering her a biscuit every time she's belted up. You know like a reward for good behavior. It works so well that I think I may have conditioned her to expect to be given a biscuit whenever she in her child seat that she'll call out "Mumm mumm". So much so that when I tried to ask her if she was calling me "Mama", she shook her head and went "Mumm Mumm" again!

Looks like my little girl already knows her priorities! Maybe I should try taking a video of her when she's in her child seat to show you her true greedy colors.

Maybe start bribing him with food like what I did? Haha. Else have to do all sorts of in-car entertainment for him. I do know of people who play the ducking game when they see the TP if their kid are not in the child seat. No fun at all.